Image courtesy of Church of the Resurrection, Leawood, Kan.
In the years I’ve spent in my current role as production director [at Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, Ala.], I’ve learned some tips and tricks that can be applied to any video directing situation in any church. Regardless of the goal of the finished product, I feel that if a live video director can focus on these simple ideas, it will help improve the end product.
1-Use consistent terminology
Few things are more confusing for a camera operator than to hear a mix of different words, or to hear certain words used interchangeably.
Since many ops will have to make quick decisions and movements in the moment, a director should keep his communication as clear and simple as possible to thus allow for quick reactions without a camera op having to do much thinking or deciphering.
Zoom in/out, push in/pull out, pan right/left, tilt up/down, and rack in/out are also standard camera directing terms. Ensure that you’re not mixing and matching the language and are communicating clearly what you want the ops to do. If need be, review your directing terminology with the ops before the show begins so they have a clear understanding of how you’ll be giving direction.
2-Understand some camera basics
While it’s not a requirement that a good director have previously been a camera operator, it can certainly help. Often, if an op has a problem during a service or show, the first line of defense is to get on intercom and tell the director what’s happening.
In those moments, the director has the ability to give quick coaching and instruction to the op about how to fix the problem. Dim monitors, quiet intercom headsets, sticky focus controls, shaky tripod heads, and stuck extenders (or lens doublers) are all common problems that could be encountered during a live event.
If a director has at least a basic understanding of how the camera works, he or she can provide quick instruction to try and help the op fix things, while also buying time to track down someone else who can run to the camera position and assist.
3-Take notes during rehearsal
The director, not the camera ops, is ultimately responsible for the quality of the camera cut. After all, the cameras are simply moving at the discretion of the director, who bears the responsibility for telling the story of what’s happening on stage.
During rehearsal, a good director will be engaged, taking notes about lead instruments and vocalists, song intro length, vocal positions, transitional elements, and more.
By having a thorough set of notes, a director can help prepare the cameras for each specific part of the service and can ensure that the transitions between elements are seamless.
By having a thorough set of notes, a director can help prepare the cameras for each specific part of the service and can ensure that the transitions between elements are seamless.
4-Mentally plan the transitions
Nothing makes or breaks a service more so than transitions. A smooth one can make things feel like they’re all flowing together cohesively, while a poor one makes you feel like you just jolted to a halt as in a car accident.
An effective transition on camera actually happens two or three steps ahead. A director needs to think through what shots, in order, need to happen in order to smoothly get into and out of the transitional moment.
What camera should have a tight shot set and ready, or a wide shot framed for a slow push towards the stage? After the transition, who should be prepared to go back in and grab a shot of the action?
When multiple steps are needed, it also helps to prepare the camera ops over intercom for what is about to happen and what you need them to do, so they are mentally ready for their assignment and don’t have to make a last-second reaction.
5-Talk with the worship team
If a director is taking notes during rehearsal, sometimes it’s possible to still have an incomplete picture of what is going to happen. The audio engineer may be busy addressing a console issue, so based on levels in the house, it may not be obvious what vocalist or instrument would be leading a song. A band member may be having in-ear problems he or she is trying to fix, so they may not spend a lot of rehearsal time playing their instrument solo.
If there’s any doubt at all about vocalists, song intro length, instrument solos, song arrangement, or anything else having to do with the worship set, never be hesitant to just go ask the worship leader for clarity.
Few things look worse than being ready for a vocal solo by having a tight shot framed on screen, only for someone else off camera to start singing.
The only way to try and limit those issues is to have thorough pre-service communication with the worship team. Clarity is critical.
Few things look worse than being ready for a vocal solo by having a tight shot framed on screen, only for someone else off camera to start singing.
6-Ask yourself, “Where should the audience’s focus be?”
When cameras are used in a room, the term “IMAG” stands for “image magnification.” You are using cameras to take what is happening in real life and make it bigger, so that people in the room can see it more clearly. The ultimate goal is to bring people closer to the action and emotion so they feel like they’re part of an experience, not merely observing it.
If the goal is to help people engage and bring them into a moment, my job as a director should be to know what moments people should be part of.
If there’s a big drum part during the turnaround of the opening praise song, maybe I can put a shot of the drummer on screen, because his energy can help create energy in the room. If the audience can see him hitting the drums, maybe it encourages them to start clapping more to the beat and engage in the moment.
If it’s the intro of a slow worship song and a vocalist is sharing a scripture verse or having a prayerful moment, it may not matter that there’s a long keyboard or guitar intro; the audience’s focus in that moment may need to be on the vocalist, so they can engage with her emotion and allow her to lead them into a more worshipful posture.
If the pastor is telling a moving story or testimony during his message, it may not matter what props are around him on stage; perhaps a tight shot of the speaker is more appropriate so that the audience can see the emotion on his face and feel moved the same way.
A director’s goal isn’t necessarily to focus his cameras on what “looks cool.” His job is to tell a story, and the most effective way to do that is by looking through the lens of what the audience needs to see.
7-Review notes with the camera ops before the service
Any time a director is planning out a show or service, he or she should also [take] the time to walk through their thoughts with the camera team in a pre-service meeting environment. After all, if the camera team's job is to respond to direction, it will help them immensely to have some advance notice on what to be ready for.
This also can help provide vision or perspective for the upcoming service, so the camera ops know if there are certain parameters to stay within or a particular vision to follow.
And by reviewing things ahead of time, it can allow the ops to mentally prepare themselves for what is needed, so they can begin mentally rehearsing how to execute certain things.
Preparation is the key to success.
8-Don’t yell!
This last tip may be one of the most important.
A director is the thermostat of the room, and his or her emotional state can set the tone for an entire service.
A director is the thermostat of the room, and his or her emotional state can set the tone for an entire service. Because he’s providing so much direction over intercom, a director’s emotion and vocal tone can either add an element of heaviness to a service, or can bring a joyful air of levity to what otherwise could be a stressful moment.
Maintaining emotional equilibrium is critical, and this is especially important if a shot is poor or an element isn’t executed well. Getting visibly frustrated adds more tension to the moment and could snowball into further missed cues or poor execution.
It takes wisdom in those moments to have a “brush it off” mentality that can not only be internalized by the director but also be modeled for the entire team. Dwelling on a missed opportunity has the ability to affect other actions down the line, so it’s critical to move past mistakes.
Dwelling on a missed opportunity has the ability to affect other actions down the line, so it’s critical to move past mistakes.
And one must also fight the urge to offer criticism or correction over intercom in the moment. Only in specific instances should that happen; most often, it should be addressed constructively in person after the service has concluded. That way, the emotion of the moment has hopefully mellowed and all parties involved may be more apt to receive whatever coaching is necessary.
A video director is one of the most critical staffing positions in a church worship environment, and his or her leadership and direction has the ability to make or break a service. By focusing on these principles, any church can have its directing grow and improve to help create a great product.
